Utah has the dubious distinction of ranking fourth in the nation for opioid and heroin-related deaths. In fact, at least 100 Utahns have overdosed and died since December. In 2014, 362 Utahns died of overdoses, and more than 47,000 died nationwide. Those statistics are alarming.
Addictions often result from a person coming across pain pills not used by a family member or a friend. Once that source runs out, addicts often turn to easy-to-come-by heroin as a way to continue feeding their addiction. The social costs of these addictions are numerous – destroyed marriages, broken homes, crimes against people and property, and so on. The largest social costs are, of course, overdose deaths.
In an effort to stem the tide of opioid and heroin addictions in Utah and across the nation, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is sponsoring the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day as part of its National Take-Back Initiative. Last year, more than 700,000 pounds of prescription medications was collected at more than 5,000 take-back drop-off sites across the country. The 2016 Take-Back Day is tomorrow, April 30th, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. No questions are asked, simply drop off the prescription medications you want to dispose of and the DEA will collect them for incineration. To locate a take-back drop-off site near you, call (800) 882-9539 or go to www.dea.gov and click on the tab.
